As I travel around the world proclaiming the gospel, I've discovered a great thief among Christians lurking quietly in the hearts of God's people. This thief has stolen the most powerful weapon known to the follower of Christ - the mighty weapon of prayer. Perhaps this robber has inflicted more damage on the Body of Christ than any of the known enemies of the Church.
As I travel around the world, I'm continually asked, "How do you pray effectively?" The disciples once asked Jesus a similar question when they said, "Lord, teach us to pray." It's probably one of the great questions of the ages. How can I really communicate with the God who created the universe? The answer to that question will ultimately answer most other difficult questions in life.
When Christ came into my life, He gave me a passion to know Him intimately. I would meet with friends early in the morning and seek the face of God and read the Scriptures. Those were days of immense joy in my life. The aroma of those prayer meetings still linger in my heart, even though it's been 35 years since those early seasons of prayer.
My wife and I made a commitment many years ago to never go to bed with a heartfelt disagreement between us. Most of the time we have kept that commitment. However, there have been times when we haven't kept it. Early in our marriage we had a disagreement over an issue. It was so long ago that I can't remember what the issue was. But I do recall that I felt very strongly that she was wrong and that I was right. I was really upset when we went to bed that night.
